The English side and their Welsh counterparts will face off in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, setting up a highly-anticipated pool stage encounter in Australia. They are joined in Pool F by the Tongan Ikale Tahi and Zimbabwe.
This draw mirrors their famous clash in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where a Welsh win at Twickenham played a part in the English team's shock early exit.
Other Notable Group Draws
The Irish alongside Scotland also share a pool together, just as the situation from the 2023 edition. On that occasion, they claimed a 36-14 victory, with their opponents unable to progress to the knockout stages.
Uruguay and Os Lobos, both made a strong impression as surprise packages in France, complete that same group.
Notably, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and world number one South Africa until the showpiece match, assuming the South Africans top their own group.
Knockout Implications
If the groups conclude in line with the current world rankings, other top favourites like New Zealand and France would remain separated from both the English and the Irish until the championship decider.
In that scenario, Argentina would be the remaining top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as those northern hemisphere teams.
Hosts Draw Major Opener
Hosts Australia have been drawn together with their trans-Tasman rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Pool A.
The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on October 1st, 2027 in a blockbuster fixture designed to launch the event.
Elsewhere, holders South Africa have been paired with the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are in a pool with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Manu Samoa.
Larger Format for 2027
Los Pumas will take on Fiji, Los Leones and the Canadian team as the tournament grows to 24 teams from the twenty who took part in 2023.
This edition will introduce a round of 16 round for the first time in Rugby World Cup history.
Although the winner of England and Wales's group may be kept apart from some of the rugby's biggest beasts initially, they will meet the second-placed team from Group B – most likely Italy – in the first knockout round.
Four of the remaining six group winners will face a team that finished third from the pool stages.
Rugby World Cup 2027 Groups
Pool A
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Chile
- Hong Kong
Pool B
- South Africa
- Italy
- Georgia
- Romania
Pool C
- Argentina
- Fiji
- Spain
- Canada
Pool D
- Ireland
- Scotland
- Uruguay
- Portugal
Pool E
- France
- Japan
- USA
- Samoa
Pool F
- England
- Wales
- Tonga
- Zimbabwe
